


This Love is Ours

by kitncat



Category: Carmen Sandiego (Cartoon 2019)
Genre: Alternate Canon, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Alternate Universe - Post-Canon, Break Up, But only a little bit..., Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Getting Back Together, Getting Together, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Idiots in Love, Memory Loss, No Beta we die like Dexter wolfe, Not Beta Read, Not Epilogue Compliant, So much hurt/comfort..., Song: Ours (Taylor Swift), Temporary Amnesia, The hurt is the show, Unofficial Break Up?, V.I.L.E. - Freeform, Vaguely inspired by Music, mild hurt no comfort, red crackle
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-11
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-13 20:34:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,311
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29034756
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kitncat/pseuds/kitncat
Summary: SEASON 4 SPOILERSGray was the opera electrician-turned-thief who became Crackle.  What he didn't expect was to fall in love with Black Sheep when he attended V.I.L.E. Academy.Black Sheep was the prodigy of V.I.L.E. - quite possibly the best thief the world had ever seen.  What she didn't expect was to find her whole life was a lie and to be forced to abandon the one real thing she had, and to fall into a new life as Carmen Sandiego.They're both in for a wild ride thanks to their decisions and V.I.L.E., but sometimes all it takes is determination and a bit of love.ORI have too many WIP fics to start another one, but I love Carmen Sandiego (the Show) and so many of the characters and there isn't nearly enough Red Crackle content so I'm gonna make some of my own as one-shots.This one takes 99% of canon, ignoring only the two-years-later scene from the S4 finale and inserting some unseen scenes between Gray and Carmen - as well as examining some scenes from canon.
Relationships: Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep & Shadowsan, Gray | Crackle/Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, Others mentioned, Player & Carmen Sandiego | Black Sheep, such as - Relationship
Comments: 13
Kudos: 61





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This one-shot contains spoilers for most/all of SEASON 4 of Carmen Sandiego! Only read this if you've seen S4 or don't care about spoilers.  
> You've been warned!  
> *  
> *  
> *  
> *  
> I do not own Carmen Sandiego (the show) or any of the characters from it, I'm just writing a different version of the story. Any/all dialogue that comes directly from the show also belongs to it's original creators!

Black Sheep had only ever had one goal. Become the best of the best at V.I.L.E., for the sake of the family that took her in. Coach Brunt believed she could do it, and all the others had coached her - and she had to prove Shadowsan wrong, that she wasn't too young or too _rebellious_ to become a good operative.

So being allowed to attend the Academy was her chance. And her only one at that. She wouldn't fail, no matter what. But there was one small hiccup in an otherwise smooth road to success.

At first, it wasn't a bump. It was just some guy who happened to get on her bad side during orientation. No problem, chances were they'd be nothing but classmates and eventually coworkers.

Well, until she found out they were roommates. (And one day they'd be teammates.)

"You." She'd greeted him with less than a little annoyance as he walked in the door of the dorms.

He gave an almost shy smile, glancing away, "Um, Black Sheep, was it?" He asked, seeming to gain confidence as he strolled towards her and offered his hand, "The name's Graham." He introduced himself while she stared down at his hand with a good bit of intensity, debating with herself on whether she'd shake it or not.

When he came to her side to get Sheena to back off of her nesting dolls only moments later, throwing her a wink that meant _something_ she didn't yet understand afterwards, she'd realized it might not be too bad.

She quickly dubbed him "Gray" as opposed to calling him Graham or - after he'd selected his codename - Crackle, and they fell into an easy friendship. At least, until they fell into more.

The first kiss, the mutual agreement of their feelings, was achieved in an almost non-existent exchange between classes - but later he'd treat her to what had to count as a proper date on the island, which was basically just walks on the beach when they were able to sneak away unnoticed. Between the fact that they both knew Coach Brunt might _literally_ crush him for dating her Lambkins and the fact that neither of them knew how the Faculty would react to a relationship between to-be operatives (even the two best students), they kept it as lowkey as they could - meaning most days they only had stolen glances and secret smiles.

But the stakes were high, and the waters - well, they'd been calm for too long. Black Sheep failed her final exam, though she was convinced Shadowsan had rigged it against her (Gray, who had passed, believed her but couldn't do much about it).

To prove herself, she went on Gray's first caper along with Tigress, El Topo, and La Chevre. As she hung up on Player, momentarily panicked over not having a parachute, and watched Crackle be the last one standing - and the one she trusted the most - she didn't hesitate - lunging out of hiding towards him.

"Heads up!" She called unnecessarily as she barreled into him, carrying them both out of the helicopter as he let out a grunt at the impact - her arms wrapping around him to ensure she didn't plummet to her death.

As they spun through the sky, she felt his arms come around her - and her thoughts flitted back to a moonlit stroll.

_"What would you do if one of our capers went south?" She asked, a teasing lilt to her voice. She doubted anything like that would ever happen._

_"First?" He asked, she nodded. "I'd keep you close, so that I knew I wouldn't lose you." He told her truthfully, smiling softly._

"Black Sheep?!" He was yelling, and she didn't think it was just because of the wind from falling - his face painted with surprise.

"Don't let go." She murmured, heart hammering in her chest because if he let go she was literally going to die.

He didn't. He held her closer, opening his parachute to deliver them both safely to the ground.

When they landed though, she could see the frustration in his eyes, "Are you _out_ of your _mind_?" He demanded, "You just put your safety and my _entire_ criminal career at risk!" Despite his frustration, she knew she'd scared him - and that was why she felt the slightest bit guilty.

He'd said more, but the rest of the night felt both completely blurred and crystal clear in her mind after the fact. He'd told her to stay, she hadn't listened. He'd tried to kill someone, her worldview was shattered. V.I.L.E. didn't just steal items, they _encouraged_ the theft of lives.

She didn't blame him - he'd told her honestly he thought she'd known such things already. But she couldn't stay. Everything around her was a lie, and the one real thing she'd found in the midst of it all... It wasn't enough to keep her there, and he wouldn't want to leave. So she'd have to go alone.

Well, not completely. She had Player - even if it wasn't the same.

_"Secret to the end?" She laughed softly as they rested on the beach under a full moon, hidden in the shadows as they enjoyed one of their dates. The topic of discussion was currently how unlikely it was they could have them and be V.I.L.E. operatives, even after they graduated._

_"Of course." He smiled, "I'd hate for them to take you from me." He mused softly._

_She leaned her head on his shoulder, "Yeah... Same here."_

Secret to the end. Player didn't need to know Gray was anything but a good friend.

Carmen Sandiego emerged from the ashes of Black Sheep's naïve faith in V.I.L.E. and left the island, and everything she'd ever known, behind - and became their worst enemy. The one good, real thing she'd had torn apart by waves too big for them to sail across. Carmen never told Player she spent a good hour crying on that little boat towards one of the continents.

She didn't see him again until one night, on a train to Paris.

He showed up with a crackle rod, shooting off a directional EMP before she could truly react to seeing him again.

"Well, well, blast from the past, ay?" He greeted her, cockiness oozing from Crackle and no trace of that softness she'd once known. It hurt, but that was expected. They were on opposite sides of a war, and she'd just have to deal. If he didn't want to acknowledge what they'd been, then she wouldn't either.

Still, she had to poke him, "Dude, seriously? Static cling?" She challenged, as unimpressed with the side effect as she sounded.

"Side effect of the directional EMP, so you can forget about reaching for phone or fancy toys. They're dead."

"I know how an electromagnetic pulse works Gray. You aren't the only one that passed Dr. Bellum's class." She sassed right back, "And you didn't really think I'd take any of your bait without checking for a tracking device, did you Gray?"

She couldn't help the little smile at his genuine look of surprise - as if he couldn't believe she'd taken the trap without removing the tracker. But it was all part of the plan, of her last ditch hope at scavenging the one thing V.I.L.E. shouldn't be able to touch.

"That's right, I wanted you to find me." She added, "It's time we tied up loose ends." She added as he started to scowl, sitting down.

"You were the only loose end. Until five seconds ago, when I captured the elusive Carmen Sandiego." He countered with a cheeky grin - another sting she didn't let show. But she'd been the first to leave him, she figured. Still, she had to push her own plan forward. Then he gave her the perfect opening, "Or should I call you Black Sheep?"

She smirked, reminding him of when they'd first met with a single line, "That's better than Lambkins."

He chuckled, grin turning to an amused smile, "You really schooled me the day we met."

She'd schooled him more days than that, enough that he'd risen to be the only person other than the Faculty at V.I.L.E. that could truly hope to match her - unless she was somehow off-balance.

"I thought you should know who you were dealing with." She informed him softly, tilting her head.

"Well it seems I still don't know." He informed her, frowning and with a pointedness to his tone that - for the first time - showed her he wasn't as unaffected by all of this as he'd seemed. "The slick red hat, the exotic new name. Who are you? _Really_?"

She bit back the response she wanted to give him, because she knew that wasn't what he was looking for, "A professional thief." She said instead, "Just like you."

"No, you weren't like the rest of us." He countered, "How _did_ you ever wind up in crime school?"

There was the other opening she'd been hoping for. "You want the whole story?"

"Your clock runs out when we reach Paris. Make it count."

She prayed she could, as she started her story.

She hoped for a moment it worked as they pulled into the station.

"End of the line. We miss you Black Sheep, V.I.L.E. wants a truce." Her heart sank.

"They want me stealing for them, instead of from them." She said pointedly.

"You've proven yourself. That's all you've ever wanted, isn't it?"

Maybe once, that was. But now she'd seen what V.I.L.E. really was, and even with the unspoken promise of getting them back if she went with him - she couldn't go back.

"The League's offering you a full pardon, even Shadowsan's on board. They'll make things right if you just come home." He tried, sounding more desperate than she was sure he meant to, "Where you belong."

"I was hoping we'd end up on the same side again tonight Gray." She murmured, careful to keep her voice controlled. She'd never been one to be ruled by emotion, she wouldn't start now - even if she was certain this is what all the books meant by 'feeling your heart breaking'. "My side."

His face fell, he sighed with what seemed to be a great weight, "Still in a league of your own." He mused, and she remembered when he'd said that to her as a compliment. He stood, pointing his weapon at her, "Bye bye, Black Sheep."

"You weren't listening, I go by Carmen now." She reminded him.

They fought, she won. She left him with her coat and hat and heart as she slipped away into the Paris night.

She thought over her next steps, now that she knew she and Gray were well and truly on opposite sides, "We'll always have the train to Paris." She mused to herself so quietly even Player wouldn't hear as she started out of the train station.

And that was that. She moved on to the next caper, and pushed Gray as far from her mind as she could get him. Black Sheep may have once thought of a happy ever after with him, Carmen may have wished they could fight V.I.L.E. together, but the truth was that Crackle had loved Black Sheep - and that affection clearly didn't transfer to Carmen Sandiego the way Black Sheep's love for him had stayed with Carmen.

That's that, she figured. Until he showed up in Sydney, Australia working his old job as an electrician.

Everything in her said it was a trap when he showed up backstage and caught her there. Then he didn't show even the faintest sign of recognition at her old nickname for him, followed by offering to get security to 'escort her out'. Something wasn't adding up.

She couldn't help the way her heart fluttered as he escorted her out when he made a slightly flirtatious remark to her asking if he really didn't remember her.

"Fashion statement aside, mate, you'd be hard to forget." But there wasn't a hint of recognition or realization in his eyes, "If there is a next time, I promise not to make that mistake again." He added as they moved towards the exit door.

She wanted to laugh and cry at the same time - the blasted irony of it all (her wanting another chance with him, having it in such an innocent way that stated plainly it could never be taken if she wanted what was best for him).

Player was suspicious, as he had every right to be, but she wasn't. And when she suggested asking Gray - Graham, she reminded herself silently - to be her guide, Player disliked the idea as much as her head knew it was a bad one. She had to agree she was playing with a live wire, but she doubted the live wire was Graham.

When she talked to him, he turned her down on being a guide due to his job. And told her what she both hoped and feared - he didn't remember anything to do with V.I.L.E., or by extension her. She didn't want to know what the Faculty, namely Dr. Bellum, had done. He did give her the address of his favorite café and essentially asked her on a date (she was convinced that the universe was taunting her now, as she forced herself to walk away from him yet again). She didn't say she'd come, but she couldn't bring herself to say no either.

In the end, she decided to go. Until Player pointed out the obvious overlooked flaw in her plan - the amnesia could be a side effect of a subliminal message. And, well, that just made her think of the other nagging reason she shouldn't do this. The case where he really had completely lost his memory, or had it taken from him, so that he truly had a new chance.

She glanced over at him as he stood - already smiling - and let herself give the smallest smile tinged with sadness back, then took the opportunity a passing bus presented to slip away unseen.

"I can't let V.I.L.E. see me with him." She said as she walked away from the café, just as much to herself as to Player, "But not for my safety. For his." She's shocked her voice doesn't crack, because she's certain that bus ran over her heart.

"What? Why?" Player responded, appropriately surprised.

"For whatever strange reason, Gray has a fresh start now - and having Carmen Sandiego back in his life would," Her breath caught, "only complicate that." She forced herself to finish the sad truth that had been taunting her this whole time. He could be happy now, and free of the dangers of being an operative. She'd still have to deal with the hurt of loosing him, but if it was for him to be happy... It was just the price she'd have to pay.

She had every intention of burying her past with Gray once and for all, until a caper came up where she desperately needed someone who could help her break into Dr. Bellum's facility. When they do end up pulling him in, she's the one that's against it - to keep him safe (at least that's the only reason she'd admit to) - but in the end his skill set outweighed her vote and she headed back to Sydney.

She showed up at the café, where she found him enjoying a nice cuppa and reading some book. She was already smiling, the fondness in her chest already leaping to life and arguing against every perfectly good reason she shouldn't be near him.

He looked up at her for a moment as she approached, before looking back at his book and smiling, "You're late." He greeted wryly.

"Fashionably, I hope." She shot back in a too-familiar way, "I'm sorry I stood you up Gray." She truly was.

"Um, it's-"

"Graham. Right." She couldn't help the tinge of disappointment in her voice.

She gave him her cover story, got him on board, and they were off. And everything almost went smoothly. But smooth waters had never existed for her, and when things went wrong it was Gray that swooped in and saved her.

For a moment she panicked, but he didn't seem to remember anything as he threw the crackle rod down and simply mused, "You don't run a children's charity."

She could do nothing but promise to explain over coffee as she pulled on his arm to get him to follow her, sprinting off. When Bellum spoke and he only asked her what they were going to do, she could almost let herself pretend this could be a normal thing - just for a moment. But she refused the simple silent request, knowing once she did accept it she'd never want to let it go.

Despite his doubt about being able to disable the device, he did it no problem - which of course set off some sort of explosion count down.

"Do you trust me?" She asked softly, offering her hand. She hoped he did.

He glanced over the edge, then turned to her with a smile, "Hang on tight, don't let go?"

It was another moment she could have laughed at the cruel irony of the world, throwing her words from another life in her face like that as their arms slipped around each other.

This time though, she was the one with the parachute - and it wasn't nearly as gentle of a landing. In the end though, it was only her heart that got hurt - but that seemed to be a constant nowadays with Gray.

When she asked him about the device and he brought up deja vu, she could have laughed like a madwoman and then cried like one too. Because really? She'd already had that moment tonight, and she wanted nothing more than to fall into his arms and she _couldn't_ because he-

The simple truth of the matter was, she knew and loved him - but he didn't know or love her anymore.

This time, she didn't skip out on the cuppa though.

"Carmen, I have to know." He murmured as he held his mug of steaming tea, "Are you a spy?" He asked with all the seriousness of a man who no longer knew her past, "Part of some kind of secret service?"

She sipped her own tea, thinking for a moment how best to respond, "I do provide a service and it is secret." She said with a half-smile, "So, yeah, something like that."

"But we are the good guys?" He asked worriedly.

"Absolutely." She told him softly, "Only you need to forget this ever happened."

He scoffed, "No one would believe me anyway."

She took her out before she found a reason to come back, "I wired funds to your account for your help." She said, handing him a little piece of folded paper with the relevant information.

While he looked at it, she disappeared into the night once more - leaving her heart back there with a cooling cup of half-drank tea and a man who didn't know half of what he made her feel.

For a while, she's able to let him fade into the background - and nothing brought them back together. Until he somehow got arrested (in _Iceland_ of all places, how did he get there?!). Still, she didn't hesitate and was gone as fast as she could to retrieve him.

After locking Devineaux, who's finally learned she's not the bad guy, in a closet to keep him safe and out of the way, she found him.

"Carmen?" Gray asked in surprise. Some alarm bell buzzed in her head, ignored for the time being. "How did you know I was here?"

"All in good time Gray, we need to get you out of here." If she and Devineaux could find him, so could V.I.L.E. and something wasn't adding up - something was off and that meant danger, especially with that fancy new robot out and about.

"It's Graha-" He cut himself off with a gasp, "Look out!" He cried, genuine concern in his voice.

The Cleaners grab her, and thanks to the fact they drug her a lot of the next few minutes is blurred. She fought the Cleaners, tried to skirt around Gray's questions while knowing that he's somehow remembering things from his time at V.I.L.E.... Oh, and then the (increasingly annoying) robot showed up and - despite her best efforts - stole Gray away like some item.

She grit her teeth, already knowing her next mission was to get him back. She could handle loosing an item, she wouldn't lose Gray - not again, not if she could help it.

It's a journey, but eventually she made it - pushing her way through Dr. Bellum's base to get to the room where he's being kept. For a few moments, she allowed herself to think that she might get through this without an actually notable problem.

"Gray, we have to move." She said, opening the door. Just because, in her opinion, things were going well didn't mean they had time to waste.

"The name is-" She's in too much of a hurry to notice how off his tone was.

"Graham, I know, I know." She cut him off, smiling to herself.

"No." Her blood ran cold, especially as she heard the faint but familiar sound of a crackle rod being activated, "It's Crackle." He said as he stood, raising the weapon and allowing her to see the crackling green energy.

Several things happened in her mind. She's certain that there's the sound of her heart threatening to shatter once more. She's understandably thrown off and nervous. And... She's desperate. They had some good times, certainly he could still see that? He could see that they're good, that they're _right_?

Her expression looked like she'd been struck.

"I assume you prefer I continue to call you Carmen." It's an offer and a statement all in one as he smiled at her in the way that he would have if they were still on the isle, just the two of them in a heated spar, as he brandishes the rod towards her.

"Gray, no matter what they told you, you're not that guy anymore." She thought of the man willing to murder others, as it conflicted with the image of him laughing beside her to some silly joke about kittens on the beach or sipping a mug of tea while looking for assurance they were the good guys.

He frowned, "But I am that guy. I've always been that guy."

"No." She denied instantly, "Sydney, the café? We're the good guys, remember?" She tried, and though her voice was steady and level she knew there was a silent desperation to it - gripping to the fragments of what they'd had as V.I.L.E. threatened to swallow it all from where they'd been lurking in the shadows.

He smiled, huffing a laugh, "When you finally had that cuppa with me." He mused almost fondly, then frowned again, "Being good only mattered to me because Bellum rewired my thinking, programmed me to be some sort of innocent fool."

He'd never been a fool. Innocent? Maybe just a bit. But he'd always been too intelligent to be a fool.

"It's never too late to change." She tried desperately.

"I've had time to reflect, piece together the fragments." He stated, finality in his voice that sent fear through her blood as he stepped closer to her and she couldn't back away. "And there's only one thing I've ever regretted doing for V.I.L.E.."

He lowered the rod and turned it off, she felt a flare of hope as she looked at him.

"Trying to hurt you." He murmured softly, still frowning but in a softer manner.

"I know you won't come back to V.I.L.E., we've had that chat - on the train to Paris."

They'll always have that train, she remembered telling herself when she thought that would be goodbye. Now she's desperate for another stolen moment.

"But I'm begging you, give up trying to stop us. Because I don't ever want to be put in a position to hurt you again."

Blasting her with the crackle rod, she thought vaguely, would have been nicer than this. Didn't he understand the thought of him going back hurt her just as much as anything else he'd done?

She'd always led with her head and by doing what's right, so her heart would just have to take the blow.

"Then apologies, because I won't stop trying to take down V.I.L.E.." She didn't add on that she wouldn't do it even for him, instead she said, "Not ever - and definitely not now."

She raised her detonator, and detonated.

By the time he pushed himself up, she's already jumping out the window with a last long look back. "Goodbye Gray." She said, leaving her heart in ruins in the rubble around him as she jumped out the window.

She didn't fall apart until she's safely away from V.I.L.E. and disconnected from Player while she waited for her ride. Then, alone with only her aching broken heart, she cried and screamed into the silent white of the mountainside - raging at the air as if yelling could somehow part the impassible seas that had formed between her and Gray and somehow make everything okay.

That should have been the end, but V.I.L.E. wouldn't be satisfied with anything less than total dominance over Carmen Sandiego - a proof that no one could fight them and win - and the next time she saw Gray she didn't feel anything. He stuck by her side, but she couldn't have cared less as she ordered him around just like the others. Not once did she think of moonlit beaches that she couldn't truly recall, or a little café in Sydney that never happened, or - most of all - the rubble of Dr. Bellum's base where they should have said goodbye forever (because that was Shadowsan, not her).

Gray? Gray was nothing more than another operative as she did her capers with the same efficiency as always - delivering item after item to the Faculty - for six months.

She was made one of the Faculty, and it was the closest to happy she'd felt since Shadowsan's betrayal (she couldn't remember laughing with two redheads). Then she decided she was going to retrieve the Eye of Vishnu, after Shadowsan had stopped her the first time.

When she showed up in Morocco, she acted the same as she always had (right?). Tigress took a spare coat and hat to lead off the government goons as she went for the jewel.

The two that tried to attack her end up unconscious on the floor.

"Blue coats." She scoffed, going for the diamond before she was taken off guard as Crackle let out a battle cry - shoving some device on her head.

Rage flooded her system at the audacity of this traitor, stumbling back as she reached up to try and push the device off her head as he held it on.

"Please come back!" She's vaguely aware of him begging.

She threw her elbow back into his side repetitively as they kept backing up, feeling him hit the wall as his weapon - the ever trusty crackle rod - fell to the floor. She managed to throw him just in time to collapse to her knees as pain spiked through her head, a memory thrown to the surface - an escape from V.I.L.E. Island, not Shadowsan but her, as Shadowsan watched from the dock.

Whatever the device was doing, it was feeding falsehoods into her mind. Without Crackle holding it on, she got the device off easily and threw it at the wall - hearing it break. There's more flashes, a train to Paris (Crackle is against her, why?!) and a cuppa at a little café with him, but she shoved them away - she'd figure out what was going on later.

She rose up, refusing to let her legs shake, "You sold me out Gray." She practically growled, pulling off a glove. (She hadn't called him Gray in six months, why now?)

"No! I'm trying to help!" He pleaded, voice raised with... She couldn't tell what emotion. Her other glove fell to the floor and she bent to pick up the crackle rod.

"It's fingerprint activated, it won't work for you."

Idiot, she wanted to scoff. She was Faculty now.

"Won't it?" She challenged as she turned it on. For the first time, he looked a bit scared. "Being V.I.L.E. Faculty has its perks." She informed him, dialing up the power to maximum (beyond high enough to kill a man) and turning it on him, "You're a dirty traitor like Shadowsan." She said, furious despite her calm voice. He should be one of the people she could trust the most!

"This isn't the real you!"

"Goodbye Gray." She said, having the distinct feeling she had said it before under much different circumstances - though she never had to her knowledge. "No wait, you prefer Crackle." She added, unsure why but knowing it would hit a nerve.

"Please Carmen-" He was cut off by a yell as she fired, and she watched as he was blasted backwards before he fell lifeless to the floor.

She got out with the jewel, though she could hardly remember how thanks to the pounding pain in her head and the flashes of memories she knew were real but couldn't recall. When she saw Shadowsan, she pushed it all away for the fight (but he didn't fight back, why?).

She was fully prepared to end him like she had the other traitor when he pulled out... A little nesting doll from his coat, one that had to belong to her set.

Most everything seemed to repair itself then, at least enough that she got a vague idea of what happened as she fell into his arms.

"What do you remember?"

"I-I'm not sure." She told Shadowsan - the man who was like her father - honestly. Then she spotted the crackle rod where she'd dropped it moments before.

Green energy hummed across her vision, a flash of something very much _true_ and she- She killed him... She- No, no, no- no no no.

"Gray!" She cried, pulling away from Shadowsan in a heartbeat as her pulse spiked upwards and her heart threatened to burst from her chest. Her legs gave out as tears spilled down her cheeks, "What have I done?!" She asked into the night air.

She gave A.C.M.E. the information to take down the Faculty, which would cause the scattering of V.I.L.E., and she was told by the Chief that Gray was stable - and in the hospital. She didn't know how, she'd have to ask him. Chief wouldn't tell her what hospital, but Player gave her a hand by finding where he'd been checked in.

When the Chief went to the hospital in person, Carmen - memory now completely back in place - followed from the shadows and waited outside, not close enough to hear more than voices. She knew Chief was going to offer to get them in touch, and- What if he didn't want that? What would she do then?

She nodded to herself as she decided. She'd step into the doorway, just to see for herself that Gray was alive and recovering from what she'd done, then she'd leave. Shadowsan and A.C.M.E. had found her mother - and she planned to meet her and spend some time there before she made her next step (she'd consult all of Team Red after she met her mother).

When Chief stepped out the door and saw her, the woman only gave her a glance before moving away. It wasn't a nod, but it wasn't a denial... Carmen wasn't sure what it was, but she steeled herself to just take a look and leave.

He was looking out the window and didn't notice the Crimson Ghost's gentle smile as she took him in, before she vanished - intending to leave his life once and for all. She wasn't sure this time, but she thought he was either holding her heart unknowingly or she'd managed to kill it instead of him in Casablanca.

Her mother, Carlotta, is kind and welcomed her into her life - and is willing to listen no matter what she talked of (Carmen keeps most details of her story to herself, and Gray is still her secret) - but after an ambush by Zack and Ivy she's quick to be pulled into a middle ground of sorts. She can't change from the person she's so proud to have become, and rounding up still-active V.I.L.E. operatives becomes a hobby for her and Player in between staying in Argentina and visiting Shadowsan, Zack, Ivy, and even Jules and Devineaux.

But over the first four months of this new chapter, she found a new habit as well.

Every other week she showed up at that little café in Sydney, Australia. Every other week she ordered the same thing. Every other week she enjoyed a cuppa at a two-person table and read a book - usually realistic fiction, though occasionally a history book.

It happened frequently enough that the waiters just knew what she'd order and just nodded when they saw her come in. Every time she entered, she half-expected the question they stopped asking a while ago.

_"Are you meeting someone?" The young waitress, still a teenager, asked as she handed Carmen her cup of tea._

_"Probably not." She replied._

_"Are you hoping they'll show?"_

_"I'd be lying if I said no."_

Or another conversation she'd had with a new waitress only last week.

_"Aisha said you come here every other week."_

_"I do."_

_"But you're always alone."_

_"I am."_ _When she was here at least._

_"You never have a meeting scheduled with someone."_

_"Nope."_

_"Did you used to come here with someone?"_

_"You could say that."_

_"Do you miss them?"_

_"Every day."_

_"This place was special to you two?"_

_A bitter smile, "Yeah." She paused, "But there were too many things against us."_

She sipped on her tea, engrossed in the book she'd picked up at a shop not far from here on the history of the Sydney Opera House.

She wasn't sure why, but she looked up - maybe she felt eyes on her. And there he was, in the place she once stood before she fled - staring at her like she's some hallucination.

"Gray?!" She could feel the word escape her mouth in a gasp - her hand that wasn't holding a mug trembling so hard that if the cup had still been full she'd have spilled it on herself.

She knew that, logically, he couldn't have heard her, but he's crossing the street toward her and she's standing and about to explain - or flee, because he didn't want to see her again - but she's cut off as he pulled her close and hugged her (she's glad she'd put her tea down when she stood or else she would have spilled it on him).

"Gray?" She repeated, her voice trembling as she used her ever-waning strength to draw away just enough to look up at him.

"Yeah?" He responded softly.

"W-What are you doing here?" She said instead of what she wanted to, the words echoing in her ears.

 _"Don't let go._ _"_ They'd both said once upon a time.

"I-" He hesitated like he was trying to come up with an answer, "Well, I was in town and thought I'd stop by and- And what are you doing here?" He doesn't sound upset, and the question seemed genuine despite the fact the answer seemed to be a half-truth - so she let it slide, too caught up in the moment to overanalyze.

She shifted, glancing away, "I come here to think." Well, it's a half-truth. She did think - she thought and she reflected and she _remembered_. It just all happened to be on a single topic - _him_.

He leaped away suddenly, and she couldn't help the way she flinched - curling into herself. Stupid.

The moment was over, he was going to leave and she'd never hear from him again and-

"I-I'm sorry, you probably don't want me here." Gray murmured and she looked up at him in shock.

"What?"

All she'd wanted for the past four months was for him to be here - for him to be waiting like he was that day she came to ask him for help on a caper, for him to smile at her like he did when she'd slip out of the shadows on the academy's beach, for him to _not let go_.

He rubbed the back of his neck, "You've got your life back - and V.I.L.E.'s gone... I'm sure the last thing you actually want is the guy who stood by while they took your freewill away for six months hanging around - not to mention everything else I did."

"You're wrong." She said before she could think about it, before she could double guess herself.

He blinked at her in surprise.

"Why do you think I'm really here, without any of my team or a caper underway?"

He glanced away, glanced at the table where they'd sat a lifetime ago - a single half-filled cup of tea cooling on its surface (her book abandoned on the ground). Glanced down the road towards the opera house - where he'd once asked her on a date on its steps. Glanced back at her - the same woman who'd given him her heart and watched it break again and again and again as they fell apart and were pulled back together (never once had she actually wanted it back).

"They have good tea?" He offered, clearly trying to lighten the situation just a bit.

She laughed, feeling her eyes get wet, "Yes! Yes they have good tea and that's the only reason I come to Sydney every other week!" She mused, still half-laughing as she looked at him. "I miss you Gray." She admitted softly.

"You're better off without me." He said it like he'd said it a million times and still didn't believe it.

"I said that too, once. When I walked away when you were the one sitting here." She admitted.

She realized suddenly this had likely been what she'd hoped for - him showing up. Realized he may have had the same reasoning for being here when she'd shown up to ask him to 'light' a 'show'. But she couldn't say she regretted being here, or him having been here.

"I miss you too." He admitted softly, "But you're-"

"I'm really not." She cut him off, shaking her head, "You're the only one who I've ever been able to just talk to Gray. You're..." She shook her head, "You're the only person who's managed to break my heart so much I want to run back to you."

It's a complete contradiction, but she saw his face soften as he stepped closer once more.

"Are you sure?" He asked softly, leaning his forehead against hers, "Once I do this, I don't think I can leave again."

"Then don't."

He smiled wryly, "Hang on tight?"

"And don't let go." She murmured, then kissed him softly.

After a shared cuppa, he shocked her by demanding to know when her flight left before insisting he buy himself a ticket on the same plane.

"You don't have to." She murmured, "Certainly you-"

"Nothing worth being away from you." He shrugged, cutting her off, "Plus I've already been travelling more - photographing historical sights and such."

She knew that he'd never had an interest in such things before, and she wondered vaguely if historical sights were his way of holding onto her when he thought they'd said goodbye - the way the café was her way of holding onto him.

He followed her back to Buenos Ares, and then - when she was contacted by A.C.M.E. about a rogue operative in Mexico - she found him already geared much like he would have as Crackle and waiting for her.

Her surprise must have been obvious because he just grinned, "Player's got us two tickets to Mexico." He told her, "We shouldn't be late." She was too caught up in him coming to wonder how he knew, or had gotten into contact with, Player.

She blinked again, "You're coming?"

"Don't let go, remember?" He smiled, "Where you go, I go - besides, you didn't think I'd miss the fun did you?"

She rolled her eyes, "I don't use lethal force." She informed him offhandedly as she moved away from the door.

"Oh, I know. And I'm good with that. We'll figure it out together Sheila." He told her, smiling. She smiled back - and let that become their normal.

They were attached at the hip, essentially. They went everywhere together, and within a year he was as much a part of Team Red as Shadowsan was - not too mention the mysterious rogue who came with Carmen Sandiego on all of her missions to catch rogue thieves.

The waters to get there may not have been easy, and there would be plenty of storms to come, but they'd weather them all one way or another and - from then on - they came out together. Gray and Carmen, they weren't letting go again.


	2. Chapter 2

Graham Calloway was born into an average Australian life, with average parents as the only child. He wasn't some rich kid, but he had it better than some kids he knew. Becoming an electrician was just what felt normal as he got older, and before long he'd scored a nice job in Sydney at the Sydney Opera House. But, when he thought back on it later, maybe that was when everything had started hitting the fan and raining chaos back down on his head. He started stealing, little things at first - such as a wrench to add to his personal toolkit - but getting bigger as he got more confident in his abilities. One time he even managed to steal a gold bracelet off a theatre-goer's wrist, and sell it to a no-questions-asked pawn shop for a rather good price.

Then he was approached by V.I.L.E.. He was offered a place in their academy - an academy his skillset made him qualified for. It meant leaving his job at the Opera House, but it sounded like this one could be better - not to mention more exciting. So he went, and figured that it would be smooth sailing. Maybe it would have been (he did excel at his classes after all, earning the rank of second overall). But there was one catch - a redhead thief girl, Black Sheep.

After a less-than-astonishing first impression, he really hoped he could make it up to her as he walked into the dorm and saw her standing there.

"You." She greeted him before he could even say anything, frowning with a raised eyebrow. It might be harder to smooth things over with her than he thought... (It was a nickname for crying out loud! How was it that offensive?!)

He gave a small smile, glancing away as he prepared himself for (possibly) getting thrown across the room if he offended her again, and strolled towards her. Still, he recalled his confidence as he approached and offered his hand, "Um, Black Sheep, was it? The name's Graham."

Before the moment could become awkward as she stared at his hand, Sheena distracted them both by messing with Black Sheep's nesting dolls.

When Sheena didn't seem to be listening to the younger girl (like, at all), Graham decided to see if he could score some brownie points while being helpful. "Ah, ah, play nice princess. We all have to room together." He told the blonde, coming to Black Sheep's side with a smile.

When Sheena walked away grumbling, he shot Black Sheep a wink - a silent _'I've got your back'_.

They fell into an easy friendship after that, which is how he got his nickname Gray. He didn't completely understand _why_ that became his nickname, but - when she gave him that little smile the first time she called him that - he found he didn't mind it, and soon enough he was answering better to Gray than his actual name (or maybe it was just the girl calling it). It was hard to pinpoint the exact moment he realized he had feelings for Black Sheep beyond platonic friendship, but when he finally came clean about it in a barely-existent exchange that included one extremely brief kiss and a lot of blushing and stammering between classes it was beyond natural to fall into a relationship that was romantic.

While the island did have limited resources for such endeavors, he made do with what he had and did his best to treat her to proper dates (or at least as close as he could get). It meant a lot of nights on moonlit beaches, but he didn't mind one bit - if it meant he got to spend it with his Black Sheep. They kept it as quiet as they could - not even their other roommates knowing they were together - for fear of the Faculty's reaction to it (especially Coach Brunt, who seemed to be rather protective of her Lambkins).

When the year finally began to wind down (Gray, or Crackle if you went by his codename, could hardly believe it had only been a year), final exams were upon them and... He couldn't really believe that Carmen had failed. She was the best of the best, even Tigress - though she'd never admit it - knew that.

Gray knew there was nothing he could do though, so he just offered his support to his girlfriend and tried to focus on what he could do - like getting his first caper to finish without a hitch.

He was the last out, but what he hadn't expected was Black Sheep to show up. "Heads up!" She cried, flinging herself from her hiding place.

He felt the impact of her slamming into him, and then he was free-falling - her arms wrapped tight around him. It was instinct to wrap his arms around her as he held her close - the rush of fear-fueled adrenaline rushing through his system.

"Black Sheep!?" He cried, eyes wide with surprise - voice raised from shock more so than for her to hear.

"Don't let go!" She told him and, if it hadn't been for the fact they were hurtling towards the ground, he would have made a comment about how he never would. As it was, he just pulled the parachute so they wouldn't die.

"Are you _out_ of your _mind_?" He demanded after they'd landed safely, "You just put your safety and my _entire_ criminal career at risk!" He was frustrated but he could feel the fear still rippling through him. That could have gone so badly... What if they'd lost their hold on each other? She could have died!

The rest of the night seemed unimportant in hindsight. Well, minus the fact she'd stopped him from killing someone - that was pretty significant. Apparently she hadn't known that part of V.I.L.E.'s attack strategy - which surprised him - and he couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for taking away that illusion of innocence from her.

He sighed to himself as he stared blankly out at the beach they'd once walked.

_"You're not like the other students, are you?" He inquired softly._

_She smiled sweetly, "Not really. I've been here way longer than other students." She shrugged, "But that's fine, 'cause one day - when we're operatives - we're gonna travel the world together. Right Gray?"_

_He smiled back, heart warming, "I'll follow where you lead Black Sheep." He told her. If she wanted to see the world - well - he'd just have to see it to. And it would be worth it, if he got to see her smile and marvel at the different sights she mentioned wanting to see someday._

He'd never been one to focus on the future, but he'd been able to see one with Black Sheep - a clear path forward. But that was gone now, torn away by a storm they'd had no warning for. He shook his head, forced himself to snap out of his memories. Black Sheep - or Carmen Sandiego, as he had heard she was calling herself now - had made her choice. She'd left - both him and V.I.L.E. - and that had to be the end of it, no matter how much it stung. (She hadn't said goodbye to him, or even left a note. She just vanished. He'd never admit it, but he'd give the world to see her smile again.)

It was his idea to use her nesting dolls she'd left behind as bait, placing a tracker and leaving them for her to find. He found her on a train headed to Paris, and the irony of the fact that they were on their way to the City of Love wasn't lost on him.

"Well, well, blast from the past, ay?" He greeted her with a grin, carefully pulling on a mask he'd been practicing as he shot out the directional EMP at her. She'd left him first, so he tried not to let it bother him that he was fighting her.

"Dude, seriously? Static cling?" She challenged, shaking her arm as if she could fling away the side effects, clearly irritated.

"Side effect of the directional EMP, so you can forget about reaching for phone or fancy toys. They're dead." He explained, though he knew she already understood what had happened. Apparently, this was how they'd play the game - as if they'd never been more than friends.

"I know how an electromagnetic pulse works Gray. You aren't the only one that passed Dr. Bellum's class." She shot back without missing a beat, sitting down as if this was a normal conversation, "And you didn't really think I'd take any of your bait without checking for a tracking device, did you Gray?"

Moving into the train car, he couldn't help blinking in surprise. If she knew he'd bugged it, why did she take it?! (Why was he almost frustrated she had?)

"That's right, I wanted you to find me." She continued, "It's time we tied up loose ends."

He frowned, sitting down and gesturing with his crackle rod, "You were the only loose end. Until five seconds ago, when I captured the elusive Carmen Sandiego." He couldn't help the cheeky grin he gave her, silently acknowledging that they were playing rather dangerously around the line between friend and foe. Attempting to emphasize to her that line, he added on, "Or should I call you Black Sheep?"

She smirked, "That's better than Lambkins." She mused.

_"And rule number two," Coach Brunt continued, "first names only, until you get assigned your code name. Ain't that right Lambkins?"_

_He couldn't help it, "Lambkins? Who knew V.I.L.E. had a mascot?" He laughed._

_At least until someone grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him over the back of his chair, a feisty red-head glaring down at him. "Only my friends call me Lambkins." She instructed, "My code name's Black Sheep. Do you understand? Nod, if you understand." She practically growled._

_Too stunned to form words regardless and mouth hanging open like a fish in awe of this girl, he nodded. "Uh-huh."_

He couldn't help but laugh at the memory, "You really schooled me the day we met." He acknowledged. He'd learned fast not to cross Black Sheep. Then again, there was a time when he never would have dreamed he'd turn a weapon on her as the sneaky little thief stole his heart.

"I thought you should know who you were dealing with." She responded, tilting her head in a way he found too adorable for the current situation.

"Well it seems I still don't know." He shot back, tone growing pointed as he frowned and lost the detachedness he'd been trying to maintain, "The slick red hat, the exotic new name. Who are you? _Really_?"

"A professional thief. Just like you." She informed him, instead of giving an actual answer.

"No, you weren't like the rest of us." He countered, "How _did_ you ever wind up in crime school?"

"You want the whole story?"

He'd never been able to deny her.

"Your clock runs out when we reach Paris. Make it count."

She nodded, and began. From being found as a baby to making her case to get into the academy. From orientation to leaving, she told him her story. She didn't mention moonlit beaches, and he couldn't quite decide if he was upset about that or not - though he wondered why she left that part out. Was it because it hurt her to think about it? Or did she simply want to forget it?

Regardless, they were pulling into the train station. He didn't want to leave her, so he pulled out the card he'd kept up his sleeve.

"End of the line." He paused, "We miss you Black Sheep," He gave her a soft, almost hopeful smile, "V.I.L.E. wants a truce."

"They want me stealing for them, instead of from them." She shot back with a frown.

"You've proven yourself. That's all you've ever wanted, isn't it?" He offered her softly. He didn't really care _why_ she came back, he just wanted to have her back. When she didn't look convinced, he tried, "The League's offering you a full pardon, even Shadowsan's on board. They'll make things right if you just come home." He internally winced at how desperate he sounded to his own ears, "Where you belong."

"I was hoping we'd end up on the same side again tonight Gray." She murmured and he felt himself start to smile, a burst of excitement dancing across his chest. "My side."

Excitement and hope died, and he wondered if a broken arm hurt less than this. He couldn't help the sigh he gave, "Still in a league of your own." He mused, memories dancing in his mind as he stood, "Bye bye, Black Sheep."

"You weren't listening, I go by Carmen now."

In hindsight, nothing else about the night seemed important to him. Not the way he was captured, not the angry frown of the Faculty. Just her own disinterested expression, just the line that had once been drawn in sand being drawn in stone.

He wondered, as he sat in the back of the car with the Cleaners driving him somewhere, if this is what a broken heart felt like. He wondered if her mind lingered on the old _"We'll always have Paris"_ line the way his did.

Then Bellum and Maelstrom strapped him down, put that device on his head and-

Stepping off the bus, it was just another day at the Sydney Opera House - where he worked as an electrician. The amnesia from his accident bugged him, but he did his best to just get on with his life. If he stayed stuck in a blank spot in his memory, he'd never move forward with anything else - and he needed to, or he'd drive himself insane trying to remember.

They always say fate is a funny thing though.

When he found a woman clad in a red coat and crimson fedora backstage at the performance of _Carmen_ , it was his duty to ensure she either had a pass or was escorted out.

"You there!" He called out to her, careful to keep his voice low enough so that no one would hear it over the music of the show.

She turned around and he didn't think it was his imagination that she mumbled something as a look of alarm passed over her features.

"What are you doin' back here?" He challenged her, arms crossed as he frowned.

"You first." She shot right back, a challenge glinting in her eyes.

"What!? I'm workin'." He was surprised she asked that, but that didn't stop him from answering.

"I know. _'Lights out baby'._ Come on Gray, what job are you working tonight?" She shot back, clearly irritated and on edge. He was getting a bit concerned actually...

"First, it's _Graham_." He emphasized by pointing at the nametag on his uniform, "And second, since electricians don't seem to intimidate you, I'll be more than happy to have security escort you out." He added on, having noted that she was lacking the wristband that served as a backstage pass. He was surprised how easy the back and forth came to him, how natural it felt with her, but chose to ignore it in favor of doing his job.

"Wait, what?" She said, seeming surprised rather than irritated now, "You don't expect me to believe this innocent act, do you?"

"No wristband, no backstage access." He responded, confused by what she was meaning as he grabbed her arm and began leading her to the exit, "I don't make the rules." He added.

She started walking on her own. "You... Really don't remember me?" She questioned, stopping as she looked at him.

He paused to study her, thoughtful, but he was certain she was a stranger.

"Fashion statement aside, mate, you'd be hard to forget." He told her with a smile, turning to continue walking her out (and glad when she followed), "If there is a next time, I promise not to make that mistake again." He added with a soft smile.

"Guess you just, uh, remind me of someone I used to know." She said.

Whether it was simply because she was embarrassed or it was the truth, he let it slide, "I have one of those faces." He told her, opening the exit door for her.

When he was leaving the opera house later that night, a mechanical noise made him look back to find the lady in red strolling towards him.

He grinned, "Hey, I remember you." He greeted, almost like it was some inside joke between them, "Old Red Sneakaroo."

She asked him to be her guide in the outback, and while he wished he could accept he already had a commitment to his job. So instead, he just slipped her a piece of paper with the address of his favorite café and gave her a date and time, hoping she'd be there. At least he got her name - Carmen. He liked it, and he had the sneaking suspicion he liked her.

If he believed in fantasy tropes, he may have made some joke about her stealing his heart as she strolled away. But this wasn't a fairy tale, and she was just some tourist - not a thief.

For him, Friday couldn't come fast enough. It was 7:58 PM when he looked up and saw her. She wasn't wearing a telltale fedora anymore, but the bright red jacket was eye-catching and he recognized her face even though it was shadowed by the hood of her jacket. He stood to greet her as the bus rolled by, but when it passed she was gone.

He blinked, looking around to see if she'd just moved a couple of steps, but he couldn't catch another glimpse of Carmen. He waited another hour before he called it quits. He was certain she'd been there, at 7:58, and why she'd left was a mystery - how she'd left without him seeing her another one.

He hated the cliché of it all, but with the way his thoughts lingered on the ghost of a woman he was fairly certain she'd stolen his heart - at least a bit.

Regardless, something kept drawing him back to the café every Friday like clockwork. He was just enjoying a nice cuppa and reading a book he'd picked up when she strolled up in that same red jacket.

"You're late." He greeted with a smile as he returned his eyes to his book.

"Fashionably, I hope." She returned, sliding into the other seat at the table, "I'm sorry I stood you up Gray." She added, as if her appearing hadn't made up for it already.

Still... The name thing was going to bother him. ""Um, it's-"

"Graham. Right." He wasn't sure if he imagined the disappointment in her voice or not, so he didn't mention it.

She asked him to light a performance of _Swan Lake_ for her charity, and he was virtually powerless to deny her - only requesting she finally have their cuppa afterwards. She told him she'd get him the flight, before strolling away. He wouldn't deny he'd watched her go long after she was out of sight.

When he realized that this very much _wasn't_ some charity event where he was lighting a performance, he didn't think much of rushing in to make sure Carmen was alright.

On the bright side, he did find out her last name. Sandiego.

"What kind of concert hall is this?" He couldn't help but ask, just to see what she'd say. (He wasn't so much of a fool that he still believed this was a concert hall.)

"Experimental!" The woman in red shot back, still dragging him down hallways.

When things got sticky with the slimy looking guy she was fighting, he didn't stop to think as he grabbed the electric stick thing and used it to knock the guy unconscious. How he knew it could do that was beyond Graham, but he wasn't going to complain if it kept him and Carmen safe.

It was her look of nervousness, bordering on fear, that made him toss the weapon away. "You... Don't run a children's charity." He informed her.

"I'll explain over that coffee." She agreed, grabbing his arm and pulling him along.

When they got to the top of the tower, she placed him in charge of disarming the sparking Ball of Possible Doom - and, despite his doubts, he managed to do it. Make that two cases of Deja vu today.

Of course though, Ball of Possible Doom had some sort of self-destruct feature for when it was unplugged so it started beeping a warning at them.

"Do you trust me?" She asked, turning to him.

He did, despite the fact he did not like the thought of jumping off the tower.

"Hang on tight, don't let go?" He offered her.

After a rough landing but luckily no injuries, they somehow wound up back at the café with drinks - her a coffee, him a tea.

The silence felt almost suffocating, so he finally broke it.

"Carmen, I have to know." He murmured as he held his mug of steaming tea, "Are you a spy? Part of some kind of secret service?" He asked.

She took a sip of her tea, eyeing him thoughtfully, "I do provide a service and it is secret." She mused with a half-smile, "So, yeah, something like that."

"But we are the good guys?" He asked, though he doubted someone like her would be involved in something nefarious.

"Absolutely." She told him softly.

She vanished shortly after, leaving him with way too much compensation and way too many questions. This time, though, he was certain she'd taken his heart with her. She was certainly a cheeky one.

For a while, everything goes back to normal. No more red phantom, no more excursions. Just normal life in Sydney working as a lighting technician.

He picked up a job on tour with the opera company as they travel and perform _The T_ _hieving Magpie_. It's kind of amusing for him, thinking of a woman in red somewhere in the world doing who-knows-what to help people without them knowing.

After he's picked up by what he could only describe as 'secret agents' everything got a lot more confusing. After several rounds of questioning that didn't get anyone anywhere other than 'confused', they pull out some memory device and he agreed to using it.

It's downhill from there.

He couldn't really remember breaking out of the facility or calling V.I.L.E.. He didn't really know when exactly he broke into the house he was arrested in. He knew he did all of them, but with the migraine and flashbacks it was all a blur for him until hours later.

What was crystal clear, at the time, was Carmen showing up. Carmen Sandiego.

Carmen's eyes lit with concern for him, Carmen fighting with the Cleaners... Carmen trying to save him from the robot. _Carmen_ , he thought as he was whisked away while she watched helplessly, has always been the clearest thing about his life. He knew it was only a matter of time before she came for him.

But the tide was high, and the longer Maelstrom talked the further he could feel himself being pulled back into V.I.L.E. - into the promise of excitement they offered. And the more he remembered the sting of a wordless goodbye - of a ghost vanishing into the night and leaving him to pick up the pieces.

With every memory of a moonlit beach that clicked into place, every fragment of sweet moments stolen for one another, the bite of loss was remembered too. The loss shaped like a crimson red jacket and fedora, the loss that spoke of broken faith and broken promises. The words that had been left hanging in the air.

_"Hey Gray..." Black Sheep trailed nervously._

_He hummed softly, "Yeah?"_

_She bit her lip, "I... I know I can't say for certain but... I think I love you."_

_He smiled, taking her hand in his, "I think I love you too."_

_He far more than thought it, but he'd only tell her what she was ready for._

He had to grit his teeth against that particular memory, especially when it was followed by the memory of her leaving him for the bluecoats to find.

He loved Carmen Sandiego - her name wasn't what he fell in love with, so it didn't matter that she wasn't Black Sheep anymore - but he honestly wasn't sure if Carmen Sandiego loved him, or if he was just another reminder of V.I.L.E. for her. So despite all the good he remembered, the ache in his heart at the thought of losing her again... He thought that maybe it would be better if he stayed away.

After all, just because he loved the Crimson Ghost didn't mean that she loved him back as Black Sheep had.

He was drawn out of his thoughts by the one who was occupying them.

"Gray, we have to move." There was a quiet urgency to her voice that spoke of danger.

He grit his teeth, listening to head over heart as he pushed his decision forward - attempted to burn a bridge so he'd finally stop looking back.

"The name is-"

She cut him off, "Graham, I know, I know."

"No." He turned the crackle rod on to ground him - to remind him of what he was choosing. She had chosen to leave, he was simply following through with it. Right? "It's Crackle." He pushed on with correcting her as he stood, holding the rod up and close to his chest as a reminder to both of them they were on opposite sides. He decided not to note the fact that the power was so low it couldn't have hurt much more than a fly - let alone Carmen.

The look of shock on her face sent an ache to his chest, but he'd already drawn the line. It wasn't even done here. It was done back on a train in Paris. It was done in the middle of the night on an island no one knew existed. This was the bed they'd made, and now they both had to lay in it - whether they liked it or not.

"I assume you prefer I continue to call you Carmen." He swept on when she didn't respond, offering her the name she'd chosen over him while giving it to her at the same time. He wondered if she thought the trade was worth it.

"Gray, no matter what they told you, you're not that guy anymore." She tried reasoning with him. He couldn't say that he completely disagreed with her. The life he'd led as Crackle felt like it was eons ago... But so did the life he'd only recently been living as Graham too. And really... Crackle's life was less of a lie, wasn't it? It was the one he'd made before his brain had been tampered with, after all.

"But I am that guy. I've always been that guy." He argued as if the last few months had never happened.

"No." She denied instantly, "Sydney, the café? We're the good guys, remember?"

Her voice was steady, but he thought he saw desperation flash in her eyes. And yes, back then they were. Maybe she still was. He would admit that, in all likelihood, she was the good guy and V.I.L.E. was the bad guy. But for some reason that meant less to him than the stinging pain of her leaving. So he was going to do what he always had - take the easiest out. Run back to what was certain - and that was Crackle, the V.I.L.E. operative. He knew who that person was - even if he didn't know exactly who he was in this moment.

Regardless of his thoughts racing ninety miles an hour, he huffed a laugh, "When you finally had that cuppa with me." He mused fondly. He still cherished her - still loved her. War didn't change hearts, it simply tore them apart in its hurricane. His face fell back into a frown, "Being good only mattered to me because Bellum rewired my thinking, programmed me to be some sort of innocent fool." He informed her, trying to make it sound as true as it could possibly be. (It didn't work in his own ears.)

"It's never too late to change."

He tried to ignore that statement.

"I've had time to reflect, piece together the fragments." He stated, letting the finality carry through his voice as he moved closer to her, "And there's only one thing I've ever regretted doing for V.I.L.E.."

He lowered the crackle rod, powering it off. He was trying to turn their line of sand into a line in cement but he still couldn't bring himself to hurt her - not when driving a knife through his chest would hurt less. "Trying to hurt you." He finally revealed to her, watching the flicker of surprised hope cross her features as if this was some grand mislead.

"I know you won't come back to V.I.L.E., we've had that chat - on the train to Paris."

Again, he thought, the world was laughing at them as it destroyed what had once been amazing. They'd always have those last hours, even if they'd never be enough.

"But I'm begging you, give up trying to stop us. Because I don't ever want to be put in a position to hurt you again." He tried to reason with her softly. He wondered if it was a selfish request to such a selfless person. But he hoped she'd listen to him - hoped she'd leave this war far behind her and never look back. Because he feared that one day she'd get hurt - or worse.

There was a few moments where he was certain she was considering it, "Then apologies, because I won't stop trying to take down V.I.L.E.." She finally said, "Not ever - and definitely not now."

She drew out a detonator and he felt his own flicker of surprise before she set off the explosives, rubble raining around them.

By the time he pushed himself up off the floor - where he'd dove down to get out of the way of a rather large piece of rubble - he looked up to see her perched in a broken window, hair waving in the wind.

She looked untouchable.

"Goodbye Gray."

The finality of her tone stung more than anything, and as she jumped out the window and glided away he was certain she still had his heart in her pocket.

He returned to V.I.L.E. - welcomed back by his old team - and he hoped that it was the last he'd see of Carmen Sandiego. Not because he wished her ill, but simply because he feared that he wouldn't be able to fight her the next time he did. And he was expected to now. He was an operative again, and she was Enemy #1.

Then the Faculty informs them that Carmen Sandiego is a V.I.L.E. operative. They're given some sort of cover story - Carmen wasn't the one that went rogue, but Shadowsan, and Carmen never left V.I.L.E..

His gut twisted uncomfortably as they awaited this Carmen Sandiego. The Faculty hadn't said anything else on what they'd done - but he was the only other one that knew how deeply Bellum's device could affect someone, and he worried what they could have done to Carmen. The Faculty hadn't known about their relationship, so would she remember that? Or would it have been erased unknowingly to help make the perfect operative - the one the Faculty wanted?

He couldn't do more than wait and see.

"Hola, sewer rats." Her voice was cold, and he turned to see her calculating gaze flickering over them like a predator assessing prey. It was the same coat and hat, the same face that stared back at him, but he knew instantly that something was different. The giveaway wasn't so much her voice but her eyes - those eyes that usually glimmered with thinly veiled but unnamable emotions were as cold as her tone.

He still smiled though, because certainly it was still Carmen.

"Well, look who decided to be fashionably late." Tigress quipped, "If you can call what she's wearing fashionable."

He wasn't expecting Carmen to lunge at Tigress, "Always looking to pick a fight, aren't you kitty cat?" She challenged.

He blinked in surprise, missing her next words in shock. El Topo and La Chevre looked at him to deescalate the situation as he always had before.

"Woah!" He still started with, moving forward towards them, "We're not roomies anymore, we're professionals." A professional who was trying not to laugh at the image of his teammate being forced to pick her own nose but that was beside the point, "With a job to do." He added, hoping that would catch Carmen's attention. She'd always been good at blocking out everything else to focus on her goals.

It worked, as Carmen released Tigress, "I guess you could breathe easy." The woman in red muttered with a smirk.

"Hilarious." Tigress muttered back.

"We gonna rock this thing Gray?" Carmen shot at him, smirking his direction. For a moment, he hoped. It was so close to sounding like the woman he knew that he wondered if it was just an adjustment period that they would need to weather.

Still, they were on the job. "It's Crackle now, remember?" He asked, stepping even closer to her and turning to face the other three operatives.

"I know." She said, casually resting an elbow on his shoulder, "But you look like a Gray." She added, that same smirk on her face as the day she'd first called him that.

_"Gray, heads up!"_

_He wasn't sure who Black Sheep was talking to. A moment later, the ball hit him in the head._

_"Graham!" She yelped, and he heard a screech from Sheena before the younger girl was at his side, "Are you okay?"_

_He nodded, "Yeah, I'm fine... Just, um, what did you call me?"_

_She blushed, "O-Oh, um, Gray?"_

_He smirked with a huff, "Alright. Well, next time try not to use a nickname the first time when you need me to do somethin', alright?"_

_She nodded, "Okay."_

It's casual enough to make him grin, a quiet victory nestling in his chest, "What Carmen said." He told the rest of the group, "Let's rock this thing."

The victory of being at her side again was short lived, and the hope that the cold viciousness she'd shown Tigress was just their rivalry or an adjustment period was quickly dashed. She climbed the ranks to Faculty quickly, achieving everything Black Sheep had ever wanted - but she used methods Carmen Sandiego never would have thought of.

She used her teammates in dangerous diversions, she attacked to harm (he was scared she'd kill someone a few times, if he hadn't stepped in)...

It was everything he could have wanted, even if they didn't have a romantic relationship. He had her back at his side instead of as his enemy. But it wasn't right.

He tried, for six months, to make it work. To convince himself it was fine.

But he knew that this wasn't her. This wasn't Carmen Sandiego - the girl he loved - at his side. This was Carmen Sandiego - V.I.L.E.'s perfect thief - at his side. And they weren't the same, no matter how hard he tried to make them match in his mind.

The woman he loved was all compassion and selflessness. She was all in with everything she did. She cared for her friends, and would gladly die for her team.

The woman he stood beside was all jaded edges and calculation. She was detached from everything around her. She cared for no one but herself, and would gladly sacrifice any one of them.

It took her almost turning on him for him to finally admit that the longer he let this drag on, the worse it was getting.

So he did the only thing he could to help her. He went to ACME. They set up a trap to catch Carmen Sandiego and restore her memory.

Maybe he'd lose her, but wasn't it better for her to be who she really was without him than this twisted shell she was with V.I.L.E.?

Of course, things didn't know how to go smoothly. Carmen was the best of the best for a reason - and it wasn't because she was a blind fool.

When he came face to face with Tigress being handcuffed, muttering about Carmen's outfit, he knew what he had to do. Funny, he was becoming a traitor to V.I.L.E. as he tried to recreate the original one. He fled from the scene, rushing to help get the device on Carmen. If they failed, all of this was for nothing - and they'd lose their shot, because he certainly wasn't going to be welcomed back.

He arrived to see both the bluecoats - Devineaux and Argent, he thought - unconscious and Carmen going for the jewel, the device abandoned on the ground. He huffed to himself, scooping it up as he let out a yell (why did he do that?! He regretted it instantly) and charged towards her - shoving the device down on her head and hearing it hum as it activated.

He held it on as she stumbled back, pushing up on it with her hands to try and remove the device. "Please come back!" He begged softly. He no longer cared if he lost her - if he lost what they'd had for the rest of his life... He just wanted her to be happy and safe with her friends, he wanted her to be able to choose what she wanted for herself. He wanted to see her eyes sparkle with playful mischief, see her _care_ about what happened to others... Everything else came second.

Giving up on getting the device off her head while he held it on, she elbowed him in the gut twice - slamming his back into the wall. He lost his grip, and she threw him over her head like he was some ragdoll. He grunted as he bounced, before rolling to look back at her - still on his hands and knees.

She dropped to her own knees with a grunt, the device working at restoring her memories - at restoring _her_. She got the device off and threw it at the wall and he watched Carmen's last hope shatter into several pieces.

"You sold me out Gray." She practically snarled as she climbed back to her feet, eyes like two deadly daggers as she pulled off one of her gloves.

"No! I'm trying to help!" He pleaded her to understand, desperation sinking into his voice as he raised his hands in a gesture of surrender.

She just pulled off her other glove and grabbed his crackle rod from where it had fallen on the floor.

"It's fingerprint activated, it won't work for you." He told her with a sinking feeling in his gut. He was glad he'd thought to modify his weapon for tonight...

"Won't it?" She challenged as she turned it on. Fear nipped at him. It couldn't kill anymore, only stun, but it would certainly still hurt. Though, he doubted it would hurt more than the knowledge V.I.L.E. had managed to destroy her so thoroughly she'd actually turn on him.

"Being V.I.L.E. Faculty has its perks." She told him, almost smirking, "You're a dirty traitor like Shadowsan." She sneered, turning the rod on him.

"This isn't the real you!" He pleaded with her, desperate for her to understand.

"Goodbye Gray." She said, sounding almost cheerful, "No wait, you prefer Crackle." She corrected herself, and for some reason that self-correction stung.

"Please Carmen-" He tried one more time, but she was already firing. He felt himself get hit by the blast, but nothing else.

When he came to, he was in the hospital. Other than the doctor - who didn't appear to know anything more than that he'd been in an accident and had been out cold for nearly forty-eight hours. It was another two days of careful observations and tests when the Chief showed up.

"Well, well, could it be the real you?" He couldn't help but joke.

"It's all real this time Mr. Calloway - the hospital stay and the jolt that landed you here." She responded, and his mind flashed back to the moments he was trying to ignore. It wasn't who she really was, he knew that.

"Electrician's trick - I rewired my device so it wouldn't power up any higher than stun mode." He informed her.

"It did more damage than you know." It did? Um... He hadn't been told that. "It must have fried your tracking chip, you've fallen completely off ACME's grid." Oh, he got the play. "Once you're discharged, I wouldn't be surprised to never find you again." Just like that, she was handing him a second chance.

A real one this time. One not rooted in a mind wipe. One that would allow him to truly choose what he wanted to do - and who he wanted to be.

She turned to leave when he decided he had to ask, "And Carmen?" He sat up as he spoke, genuine concern lacing his tone.

"Shall I pass along your contact info?" The Chief offered, as a way of saying Carmen's memory had been fully restored to normal.

"She doesn't need me complicating her life." He said, turning the idea down but unable to hold the older woman's gaze for fear of his own eyes betraying his desire to see the lady in red again. She was probably angry at him anyways - probably hated him for letting her be under V.I.L.E.'s control for as long as he had, for letting her do the things she'd done.

"I just needed to know she's alright." He added to Chief.

"I'll be sure to send your regards." The woman told him, turning to leave. He wondered if he imagined the flicker of disappointment in her eyes.

He heaved a silent sigh as he laid back down and looked out the window - wondering what he'd do now. Going back to Sydney felt like a step backwards - as unnatural as a snake crawling back into a skin it had shed - but all he knew was thievery and being an electrician.

When he was discharged the following day, he found out he had gotten a shockingly large paycheck from ACME as thanks for helping them save Carmen - and take down V.I.L.E.. He wasn't sure where his heart and its crimson-wearing owner were, but he was certain they were far from here.

He wasn't sure what gave him the idea, but he started travelling the world. With the paycheck ACME had given him, he was able to get high quality photography gear - and he started photographing historical sights, and selling some of the better photos for a good price. It was nice, and between learning new things and seeing new places and the little voice that sounded suspiciously like Carmen in his head it kept him out of any trouble with the law (he was proud to say he hadn't been stealing anything).

Over the next four months, he revived the dream he and Carmen had once sketched out on a beach on an unknown island. He travelled the world, saw the historical sights and learned about their cultures. It was his way, he figured, of holding onto the woman he loved.

Of course, his frequent posting of selfies from his phone and the fact he didn't really bother with hiding his travelling made it all the more easy for a boy and two redheads to track him down.

He's taking a small break in Buenos Aires, Argentina - checking out the museums and photographing some of the local sites - when they show up at his motel door.

He grumbled at the banging, but called out a half-hearted "Coming!" as he slipped away from the desk and opened the door to find himself stared down by a half-familiar redheaded young woman and someone who would appear to be her brother.

"Thanks Player, we got it from here." The boy muttered, and Gray raised an eyebrow.

"Do I know you two?" He inquired.

"Not really." The woman shot back. She was from Boston - in the United States - based on her accent. "But we know about you. Carmen's oldest friend from her days back at the Academy."

He frowned, glancing over them.

"Oh, I'm Ivy - this is my brother Zack. We're part of the OG Team Red." She added when she realized he wasn't going to say anything.

He nodded, deciding not to ask what the OG Team Red was - he guessed it had something to do with Carmen and her crew though. "Alright. So you already know about me, but if you're looking for Carmen I haven't seen her since Casablanca - so I can't help you find her."

Ivy rolled her eyes, "Believe me, we know right where she is. But we think you should meet up with her."

Her brother nodded, "There's a lot of things that you two seem to have left undone."

"Unfinished." Ivy said, as if the exact word mattered.

He sighed, "Carmen wouldn't want to see me - not after everything that happened." He told them.

They shared a look, "You're wrong." Ivy stated calmly.

He raised an eyebrow, "And Carmen told you that when?"

"Well - um - she didn't but-"

"But nothing." He cut her off, "I'm sure if she wanted to find me she would."

"Except she thinks you don't want to see her." Ivy snapped, shaking her head, "But look, don't take my word for it. Player will give you an address - Carmen will be there this Friday. Why don't you show up and see what she says?"

She didn't give him time to answer, turning and walking away with her brother following. Sighing, he pushed the door closed and fished his phone out of his pocket when it rang a minute later - answering even though it was an unknown number.

"Gray?" A young voice came over the phone as what appeared to be a sixteen year old boy appeared on the screen.

"Depends who's asking." He replied, though the timing was too convenient to be anyone but the mentioned 'Player'.

"You can call me Player." He smirked, "You could say I'm the second member of Team Red - and Carmen's second oldest friend."

Gray nodded, "Alright, so this address?"

Player's smirk grew, "I think you know the place. A little café in Sydney, Australia?"

He blinked in surprise, " _That_ café?"

Player hummed an affirmative, "Mhm. She'll be there Friday."

They only talked for another minute or so, though Player did leave Gray with his number - and informed him that a ticket for a plane leaving the next morning had already been purchased.

Gray was left with little choice in going - not that he was completely certain he wouldn't have bought his own plane ticket to head back to Sydney.

He arrived around six, the sun slowly setting in the background. And there she was - in the seat she'd once occupied at the two-person table, reading her book and sipping on a cup of tea.

For some reason or another, she looked up and caught sight of him standing across the street. He saw her eyes widen in surprise, and for half a second he debating turning around and leaving right then and there - letting her believe it was some trick of the light that he'd been here at all.

But his heart beckoned him forward, and he jogged across the street instead of running - barely aware of making the decision.

She stood, and the way her gaze darted around was like a startled deer checking out escape routes. He took the choice of running away though, closing the distance and pulling her into a tight embrace. It felt right, like all the jagged edges that had been formed over the years were suddenly smoothed away for this moment.

For him it felt like coming home.

They stayed that way for a long moment that could have been seconds or hours, before she drew away enough to look up at him, "Gray?" She asked, disbelief in her voice.

"Yeah?" He managed.

"W-What are you doing here?" She asked, voice trembling as if she was still scared he'd vanish into thin air.

He bit back his immediate response. _"What I should have done in the first place."_

"I-"

Was he supposed to admit that Player and her redheaded friends had sent him here? Probably not, he decided. Besides, seeing her again made it worth it - no matter how he'd wound up here.

"Well, I was in town and thought I'd stop by and- And what are you doing here?" He said, walking a fine line with the half-truth before genuinely derailing himself with the question that bugged him about this whole thing.

Why was she still here, when she could be wherever she wanted to be? Why was she here alone when she had her friends?

Her weight shifted, and she glanced away, "I come here to think." She murmured - and he instantly knew it was only a partial truth. But they both seemed to be specializing in those tonight. Given where they were, and knowing what he'd done to hold onto a piece of her, he could hazard a pretty good guess as to her full reason for being here.

He realized suddenly they were still embracing, and felt a flash of alarm that caused him to jerk away. What if she was just too stunned by his reappearance to tell him to leave? He noticed her flinch, though, and - as much as he wanted to pull her close again - figured that distance was for the best.

"I-I'm sorry, you probably don't want me here." He stammered out, voice quiet.

"What?" Her face morphed into an expression of shock as she looked up at him, eyes widened just the smallest fraction.

In his usual fashion when he was uncomfortable, he rubbed the back of his neck, "You've got your life back - and V.I.L.E.'s gone... I'm sure the last thing you actually want is the guy who stood by while they took your freewill away for six months hanging around - not to mention everything else I did." He tried to explain, and the argument sounded fair enough.

"You're wrong." She shot back without missing a beat, eyes flashing with something he couldn't identify, "Why do you think I'm really here, without any of my team or a caper underway?" She challenged softly, eyes gleaming as she waited for him to put the pieces of her puzzle together.

He glanced around, observing the scene around them. The table they'd once sat at, a cooling cup of tea on its surface where once there had been two (he vaguely noted her book was discarded on the ground). His gaze wandered towards the Sydney Opera House where they'd stood only a foot apart - and he'd asked the mysterious woman on a date. Then his gaze finally returned to the woman before him.

The spunky girl who'd schooled him more times than he could count. The young woman who'd effortlessly wrapped him around her finger. The woman in red who'd snatched his heart away and vanished into the night more times than he could count. He'd fallen in love with her countless times - in two different lives even. As hard as their paths had been, he'd never considered not loving her.

"They have good tea?" He mused aloud, cracking the slightest smile at his own attempt at a joke.

It must have hit home, because she laughed, "Yes! Yes they have good tea and that's the only reason I come to Sydney every other week!" He could see the way her eyes were damp as she smiled at him, her laughter fading, "I miss you Gray." She murmured softly.

"You're better off without me." He said it automatically. It was the same thing he'd been telling himself for months, trying to make himself believe it. He still didn't, even as he said it to her face.

"I said that too, once. When I walked away when you were the one sitting here."

How ironic, he thought, that they'd both left to protect the other - and yet they still ended up right back where they started.

"I miss you too." He finally gave voice to the thing echoing like a mantra in his head, before beginning his actual mantra again, "But you're-"

She cut him off, shaking her head, "I'm really not. You're the only one who I've ever been able to just talk to Gray. You're..." She shook her head, "You're the only person who's managed to break my heart so much I want to run back to you."

It made him crack a smile, mostly because he understood what she meant. He'd watched them be drawn apart so many times - watched her disappear with his heart in her pocket - and every time it hurt, but every time he ran right back to her.

He stepped closer to her, "Are you sure?" He asked softly, letting his forehead dip to rest against hers. They were so close that their breaths mingled.

"Once I do this, I don't think I can leave again." He murmured into the small space, knowing they were both well-aware what he was referring to.

"Then don't." She murmured softly, placing the invite into the open for him to take.

"Hang on tight?" He mused, a wry smile twisting his lips up.

"And don't let go." She finished, kissing him softly as if to seal the deal.

She invited him to share a cuppa, and he couldn't say no to her. Then he demanded to know what plane she was on to head back to... Well, wherever she was headed. As soon as she told him, he was on his phone buying a ticket on the same plane - ignoring her half-hearted protests.

"You don't have to. Certainly you-"

"Nothing worth being away from you." He cut her off with a small grin, "Plus I've already been travelling more - photographing historical sights and such."

It was only normal to follow her back to Buenos Aires. And when he found out that she was going on a caper to round up a stray V.I.L.E. operative, the only natural thing to do was call Player.

"I'm assuming you're calling to make sure I got you a ticket too." The boy chirped from the other end of the encrypted line.

"Well, by the sound of it you already did."

"You'd be right Gray. Two tickets to Puebla, Mexico. Carmen's got the rest of the flight information."

The call ended, and Gray got his gear together - ready to go.

When she walked out the door of the apartment with her own gear, she blinked in surprise when she found him waiting - and he couldn't help but grin.

"Player's got us two tickets to Mexico. We shouldn't be late."

"You're coming?"

"Don't let go, remember?" He smiled, "Where you go, I go - besides, you didn't think I'd miss the fun did you?"

That became their normal - so that they were inseparable. He became a part of her team - even Shadowsan eventually accepting him as a member of the family.

They learned each other's newest patterns, became the most reliable constant. Just like when they were students, they were essentially the best of the best - made even better by the other members of their team.

No matter what storms life threw their way after that, they were ready to weather them together. They weren't letting go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And here we have Gray's side of things!  
> I hope you enjoyed reading this, and please leave you thoughts, feelings, or anything else in the comments! If the inspiration strikes me, I may continue this - so please feel free to leave ideas for a continuation of this story as well if you'd be interested in seeing one!

**Author's Note:**

> Here it is! After three weeks, I've finished my first Red Crackle piece. Please let me know your own thoughts on this!  
> I'm also debating doing a second chapter, with Gray's side of things, so please let me know if you'd be interested in that! A lot of it would be the same scenes, and it would definitely explain why he knows Player at the end, but instead of exploring Red's feelings we'd see his.
> 
> Anyways, hope you enjoyed reading this!
> 
> Music Inspirations:  
> Ours - Taylor Swift  
> right where you left me - Taylor Swift  
> Various Taylor Swift songs


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